Bruno Rocca is a historic winery in Barbaresco, a town in the Langhe region of Piedmont, one of the most important wine regions of Italy, which gives its name to one of the most renowned wines of Piedmont and Italy in the world.
Notarial documents of the XIX century attest the presence of the Roccas in the commune of Barbaresco starting, at least, from 1834, year of birth of Francesco Rocca (1834-1894).
In 1864, Francesco had a dotal mortgage drawn up in favor of his future wife, Luigia Cheinasso. In that document, Francesco is defined as a “farmer born and living in Barbaresco”, owner, together with his brother Giuseppe, of “houses, sites, vineyards and gorreti”, all located in the municipal territory. According to documents and subsequent testimonies, the family’s activity is typical of the landowners and farmers of the region: next to the fields for fodder and cattle breeding, viticulture plays an important role in the family budget. However, it was not until the late 1950s that the history of the winery became inextricably linked to that of the most famous cru of these hills: Rabajà.
Thanks to the intuition and courage of Francesco Rocca (1907 – 1978), grandson of the first Francesco, in 1958 the winery moved from the center of Barbaresco to the Rabajà area, at the southern entrance of the town. The plots of Rabajà had always been known for the production of grapes of extraordinary quality.
It was here that Francesco’s son, Bruno, born in 1951, made an extremely brave decision to specialize in viticulture. A choice that was not taken for granted at that time, since the agricultural technologies of that period and the climate, still different from today’s, hardly assured stable and continuous productions and relying on just one cultivation could be risky. However, the predisposition of the place for viticulture was undeniable and the awareness of having a unique patrimony and the will of enhancing Rocca’s secular agricultural background lead to start what is now one of the most prestigious and renowned brands of the area.
The year 1978 marks the first vintage whose fruits will be bottled, for the first time, under the family name. The goal is to raise the quality of the wines produced and to enhance the extraordinary “family” cru, Rabajà. This is achieved through a radical rethinking of vineyard management and cellar work, no longer aimed at maximizing quantity, but designed to ensure that everything contributes to the production of wines with a distinctive character, unique because they are the singular expression of a territory with characteristics that cannot be reproduced.
Today, next to Bruno Rocca, his children Luisa and Francesco work in the winery. They have the task of renewing the fidelity of our history to the territory of origin, to the respect for the land, to the valorization of its vines and to the production of a wine which is the result of the incredible balance between nature’s rhythm and man’s work.
The winery, which is still a family business, directly cultivates about 12.5 hectares of vineyards in the communes of Barbaresco and Neive, in the hilly area of Langhe. The estate also owns 3 hectares of vineyards in Vaglio Serra, in Monferrato, an area historically suited for the cultivation of Barbera grapes, from which the winery obtains Barbera d’Asti DOCG.
